xxxHolic is one of the
most iconic mangas of CLAMP because it’s the link between all their stories.

CLAMP

In case you don’t know them, CLAMP is a group of four
mangakas, Tsubaki Nekoi, Satsuki Igarashi, Mokona Apapa, and Nanase Ohkawa. They’ve
created some works with worldwide popularity including Card Captor Sakura,
Magic Knight Rayearth, X 1999, and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, just to name a
few. Their stories are known for their intriguing and complex plots.

xxxHolic is my favorite manga created by CLAMP, before
saying the reason I will tell you what the story is about.

Yuuko Ichihara.

xxxHolic tells us the story of Kimihiro Watanuki, a high
school student that has the ability to see supernatural stuff, something that
has made him miserable. One day, while escaping from a youkai (Japanese demon) he finds a store where he meets a mysterious
woman named Yuuko Ichihara, a witch that grants wishes. Watanuki wishes to stop
seeing supernatural stuff, but Yuuko tells him that he must pay with something
of equal value, and in his case his payment will be working for her until his
work becomes equal to his wish. That is where Watanuki’s adventures begin; he often
has to confront paranormal stuff while working for Yuuko.

The manga begins following the premise presented in the
first chapter, Watanuki must do errands for Yuuko, and because of those
errands, he starts to get

closer to the supernatural world instead of get away
from it. The first volumes follow the same structure, a customer goes to the
shop and in few chapters they grant their wish. Most of the problems the customers
have are related to habits.

In the second volume this story intertwines with Tsubasa
Reservoir Chronicles, a really intelligent marketing strategy because in order
to fully understand the story, you must read both mangas. The story continues
and more important characters appear, and also they make some references to Tsubasa,
but it doesn’t lose the “customer - grant wish” structure.

Characters of xxxHolic and Tsubasa.

Maybe my explanation of the story makes it sound boring,
but it is not. The manga hooks you

Watanuki and a "Kitsune" (japanese
folklore creature)

instantly because it has a lot off Japanese
folklore, it mentions legends, mythical creatures, and superstitions that let
the reader know more about Japanese folklore, and if you compare it with your
own culture, it’s really interesting. Also, most of the problems the customers
have, or the customers themselves are relatable, you can relate yourself or
someone you know to those problems and characters.

The story has a perfect balance between comedy and supernatural
stuff, when things are really quiet, something interesting happens, or when the
story is getting too dark, some comedy appears to light up the story.

One of the main things I like of this manga are the
characters, everyone has different personalities and an interesting background
story, also, as the plot advances there is character development, a development
that may pass unperceived at first, but in the final chapters you notice how
all characters changed after making certain decisions. The character that
changed the most is the protagonist, Watanuki. At first he was really noisy and
annoying, I actually didn’t like him, but now he is my favorite, he matured a
lot.

There is also relationship development between the
characters, some characters didn’t get along at first end up understanding each
other, or characters that started as secondary characters end up having a more
important role in the story or help a certain character to develop.

The only issue I have with this manga is the art style; don’t
get me wrong, I like it, but

Looooong legs.

sometimes the characters seem to be too long and
slender, especially Watanuki and Yuuko, their proportions feel off. Leaving
that aside, I really like the backgrounds and costume design, something that
outstands in the covers and the artbook.

As the plot
advances it gets more complex and becomes one with Tsubasa, yup, you HAVE to
read both mangas, it doesn’t matter the order thou, but I recommend to read
this one first or at the same time (though I read Tsubasa first).

I must admit I didn’t like the ending at all, it wasn’t what
I was expecting, I was hoping for something happier, but no. Although the story
seemed to have a definitive finale, in 2013 a sequel titled xxxHolic: Rei
started, it’s still on going.

The manga has two anime
series, xxxHolic,
and xxxHolic Kei, two OVA series xxxHolic
Shunmiku, and xxxHolic Rou, they adapt most of the manga, or at least the most
important of it. It also has a live action drama of 8 episodes, an original
animated movie titled xxxHolic Manatsu no Yo no Yume, and a novel.

xxxHolic has an
interesting and complex story, it lets you imagine all kind of theories in your
mind of what will happen; it also has intriguing and diverse characters and a
mysterious feeling that makes you want to know what’s next. I usually don’t read
mangas of more than 60 chapters, because I think it’s too long, but I couldn’t stop
reading this one. I highly recommend it, each case it presents is unique and
relatable, and also it shows a lot of Japanese folklore.